Only Hard Times Will Tell
by Writer'sBlocking
Summary: A waiter, once seen as a nobody, suddenly becomes a somebody to class 3-E. After all, who can continue to go as a nobody after saving a group of strangers from poisonous gas, only for their 'responsibility as a fellow human' Rated T for possible gore and cussing


No one is used to being in such an expensive-looking building without being kicked out or sneered at. So the fact that no one will even make eye contact with them is beyond shocking, almost uncomfortable.

"People really think we belong here; they're not even making eye contact," Masayoshi speaks out, watching as two shady looking men walk away from them.

"It makes sense if you think about where we are," Chiba responds, his dark bangs shadowing his eyes, as usual. "This place has a reputation. Folks come here to keep a low profile."

"You know, at first I was sure everybody here would be a problem," Kayano's high pitched talk interrupts the boys' conversation. "But getting to the top floor is getting to be a lot easier than we thought." The girl closes her eyes with a small smile as she walks across the room.

Okano looks over to the girl, she too holds a smile. "Glad that Mr. K's with us though. Feels a lot safer with him leading the charge."

Just as Okano finishes speaking, the group walks into a large open area. They slow as a woman walks past them. The only thing that catches their attention is all of the plates of fancy food balancing on her arms and the large trays. She stands impossibly straight with her head held high, but she also gives off a relaxing and trusting vibe. The class quiets as they watch the woman walk ahead of them in a purposeful stride. Unlike the past few people, the woman seems to watch them a tad more closely than usual. Nothing is threatening about her stare, it's more like she's looking for someone.

Everyone had the full intention to leave the woman to be and continue with their mission. Except for Kayano.

"Hey!"

Everyone freezes as the woman slowly turns around. She's overly conscious of the plates that cover her tan arms. She looks at all of them, obviously not knowing who called out to her and gives a friendly but plastered smile. No one likes that smile. It's so obviously fake that it feels insulting as she aims it at them.

"Hello, how can I help you?" It seems as if she repeats that sentence so much, it's become a reflex.

Kayano steps forward so the woman can see her, even if it makes her a little bit nervous, and says, "Well, I was gonna ask you that."

The woman clearly doesn't understand as her head tilts and her brown eyebrows scrunch up. And so, Kayano changes the format of her sentence for the woman.

"I mean, do you need any help with those plates? That seems really hard."

Everyone silently agrees with the girl, even if they don't believe she should've started the conversation in the first place. The woman's shoulders lift from an invisible weight as they relax and her smile becomes a real and loving one as she watches Kayano slowly rise in confidence. It's as if the woman has never been asked if she needed help anymore. And in a place such as this, the class isn't surprised by the fact. As Chiba said, the place has a reputation.

The woman confirms those thoughts as she gratefully tells Kayono, "Oh, that's so wonderful of you. But I'm fine, thank you."

"I wouldn't mind helping you, really! You don't have to worry about paying me back at all," Kayano insists.

"Honestly, sweety, I'll be fine. This happens often."

That simple fact unnerves many classmates. They know the woman's working situation has to be bad if she's been trained to carry so many large plates without any help. Clearly, even Kayono thinks this as she stares at the many plates in the woman's arms.

"If I can't handle this, then I'm not doing my job right," she jokes, winking at Kayano. Everyone can tell the stranger grew a sort of bond with their classmate at that very moment. And that's most likely what makes Kayano cave as she walks back to the class to stand in her original spot. Everyone witnesses as the woman makes eye contact with Kirishima, her friendly smile and his formel head nod showing that they acknowledge one another, though the brunette seems a bit worried.

And just like that, the woman continues to her unknown destination. And that's when everyone notices the man walking towards them. He seems normal with his yellow Hawaiian t-shirt and his tan khaki shorts with black flip flops. Everything's fine, except his random sun hat and scarf wrapped around his neck. He's acting very overly suspicious and everyone knows it. Everyone but the woman.

"Hello, Smog."

The greeting is polite but short as the man just nods his head with a friendly smile. The woman seems to contemplate something before moving along, however, her pace is slowing with each step. She's catching on to the tension in the air. And right as she leaves the room, Terasaka gets cocky and decides to take things into his own hands.

He laughs and says, "Who said this was gonna be hard?"

Karisuma tries to reel him in as he reminds the boy; "Hey, we're not there yet," in a strict slur.

Terasaka continues anyway, "Look, the clock's tickin'. I say we switch off stealth mode and storm the joint!"

And just like that, both Terasaka and Yoshida run towards the guy - ignoring Kirishima's call to wait. The man stays suspiciously calm as the boys run towards him, and it is then that Fuwa connects a few dots that lead to suspicion. And when she knows it's confirmed, her suspicion leads to panic.

"Terasaka, watch out!" she yells out, her eyes filling with panic.

Kirishima catches on as he watches the man in front of them slowly pull something out from his pocket. However, the two boys remain clueless as they turn their sights away from the man, leaving their backs to the current enemy. Kirishima rushes forward, shoving the boys out of the way from the man's poison. He, however, is doomed to get hit with the toxin. That is until something, or someone shoves him out of the way. Everyone stands in stunned silence, even the man that originally started the fight. His scarf is still held to his face but his eyes are squinting to see what lays inside of his poisonous gas.

No one expects the outcome. The same woman from moments ago stands in front of them, wiping away at her uniform at an unseeable mess. She seems unaffected by the gas that's killing their friends. No one dares to speak as the woman glances around. She's the first to break the silence as her eyes land on the man that released the toxin, his scarf away from his face and a cheeky smile adorning his features as he stares back at the woman.

"How do you expect me to do my job if you go and start fights with my new customers?" Her arms cross over her chest in a scolding manner. Everyone is beyond confused. The woman's acting as if it's an everyday occurrence to have a man throw gas at somebody. And the fact that she only sees this as a simple fight between customers is just stupid, it's so absurd that E-Class considers the idea of her being another assassin in hiding.

The man shrugs with a witty grin. "Never thought your job was to jump into a fight. Aren't you supposed to leave that to the bodyguards?" He snaps back with playful sarcasm that strikes a nerve within the woman.

She smirks back at him with a shake of her head. "Well, do you see any bodyguards? Besides, don't you remember what I tell you every time we have this conversation?"

Everyone's unnerved with how friendly their conversation is. It's as if the events prior had never happened and that the class isn't even there. Even Karisuma is disturbed by the abnormal occurrence as he studies the strangers closely.

"What? Your job is to make sure your customers feel safe and have an easy time around the building? You take that pretty far for a waiter."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be a waiter my whole life, you know? Now, clean this up or I'll make you pay for damages," the woman threatens, walking back in the original direction she disappeared off to.

"You know, you're gonna get in a lot of trouble if you keep doing that," the man tells her, watching her retreating form. He's so relaxed as to turn his back on a bunch of kids that he just threatened.

"Doing what?"

"Involving yourself where it's not needed."

"Oh, I never do that. I only get involved when it concerns me and my responsibilities as a human being," the woman smirks at him and turns back around, and everyone listens as the man gives light-hearted chuckles. The woman's very intriguing. Who steps into a fight claiming it's their job as a 'human being' and then just walks off, probably knowing fairly well that the fight is going to continue? Bitch-sensei will surely want to meet this girl.

Everyone's attention turns back to the fight at hand as Karasuma knocks the pint of gas out of the man's hand. He scowls as he watches his contraption roll away from him on the floor. The man looks up with a smirk as Karasuma leaps away from him.

"What gave me away? Perhaps my old friend?"

Everyone stands silent, but the suspicion is reeking out of them.

"Oh, yes, I know. A weird little thing she is. Friendly but dangerous, you could say."

However, Fuwa steps forward and declares, "I've seen you before!" Her glare is fierce as her fellow students gape at her. "You gave us those complimentary drinks back at our hotel!"

Everyone begins to register the information, shocked that they were so easily tricked by someone hidden so openly.

"Woah, she's right," Nagisa gasps.

"Why would you be here if you worked for the other place? And why would one of the waiters know you personally, as if you always go up here?" Fuwa continues, Karasuma standing guard as they talk it out. "It doesn't add up!"

"Hey, yeah!" Sugino inputs.

The man gives a short laugh. "You've got a good eye for faces. I must admit, getting that waiter involved was not part of this plan."

The class only continues to glare at the man.

Kayano cuts in. "So it was you who got everybody sick!"

He only laughs once more. "Is that right? I'd love to see your evidence. 'Sherlock'," he comments sarcastically. "Tropical islands are a hotbed for all sorts of icky viruses."

Kayano stumbles, her determined glare becoming a nervous stare. That's when Fuwa steps back into the conversation with a smirk and three very pronounced hums. She holds her pointer finger up in the air, giving off the know-it-all vibe. The man gives an inquisitive 'huh' as he watches the girl begin to pace behind Karasuma.

"And yet we were split up and on different parts of the island all day. The only time we were together was for dinner at the shipboard restaurant. But Mimura and Okajima bout out of dinner to work on the video and it just so happens they're both under the weather. Which makes your free drinks the only liable suspect." She places her pointer finger onto her forehead as if she's searching through her mind for the answers. "And since you served them," her eyes snap open with a grin as she points back at the man. "You sir, are the poisoner!" She gives a cocky wink as she yells out, "Elementary!"

The man steps back with a fierce scowl and glare as the kids rejoice in their win.

"That was seriously amazing!" Nagisa compliments Fuwa, who silently stands in front of everyone with a smile as she accepts all of the flattery.

"It's like we're on television!" Kayano yells out excitedly with her fists balling up in front of her.

Fuwa finally spoke, a grunt escaping her mouth before she says, "I credit my taste in detective manga." She turns and points to her classmates. "Eliminate the impossible and whatever remains must be the truth." She turns back around and everyone can see purple sparkles surrounding her as she says, "Ah, yes," and that's when she starts fangirling.

Nagisa stares at her with a deadpan before finally interrupting her s, "So, manga?" Fuwa turns to him inquisitively.

"Yeah, why not?" She clearly does not see the problem with learning from an amazing manga. "The best way to read the classics! Locked door murdering mysteries, vanished heirs, phantom blackmailers, you name it!"

"I don't get the reference!" Kayano jumbles in a panic.

"Why is this suddenly an advertisement?" Nagisa shouts. "Knock it off Fuwa, we're not running a charity!"

The man behind them suddenly begins to laugh a dark chuckle that captures everyone's attention. Karasuma tenses his body once more, getting ready for a fight.

"Well, congrats on uncovering my identity, but I'm afraid it's a little too late," he tells them.

"Too late for what?"

"Why, for that lovely waiter!" The man exclaims. Everyone freezes as they remember back to the moment that the woman took the hit for Karasuma. They completely forgot and now she's probably somewhere impossible to find within the huge building with poison in her veins. They doomed an innocent woman to die because she tried to protect them. Everyone's in shock and the man gives a boisterous laugh as he realizes just that.

Korosensei suddenly cut the silence after many moments of silence.

"He's a poisoner, children. An expert at the surreptitious application of his craft."

The man cuts in once more. "Not to toot my own horn, but the gas was a homemade concoction. One whiff turns enemies into statues. Or, in this unexpected case, young waiters who get involved too much. Anyway, fresh air disperses the runoff so there's no trace," his voice grows dark as everyone glares at him. No one likes involving people that don't need to be involved. "Now then!" A grin spreads across his face. "I guess it's safe to assume you're not here to trade. I'll have to tell the big man that the negotiations deteriorated." He closes his eyes as he turns around and continues, "Oh well, you win some, you lose some."

Just as he's about to walk away, assuming there will be no problem with the class focusing on the waiter. However, Chiba, Kataoka, Terasaka, and Isogai are already blocking his exit. Each of them holds their type of weapon, whether that be their fists or any sort of object they had available to them.

_Woah, that was fast. _The man thinks in panic as he views the rest of his exits, which are all being blocked by E-Class. _Crap. They're blocking the exits. _

"The first rule when coming up against an enemy," Isogai starts, his voice as firm as his fighting stance.

"Scout the exits, block their retreat," Kataoka joins in.

"Cut off their communication," Terasaka finishes.

"We've learned from the best, isn't that right, Mr. K?" Isogai comments.

The man's glare hardens as Mr. K gets in his fighting stance behind the enemy.

"You were a tad too quick to show us your true colors," Mr. Karasuma's gruff voice pierces the tense air. "You should've kept quiet and reported us to your boss."

The man turns around with a deep scowl directed at the sensei.

"The first rule when facing numerous enemies," the man lifts his scarf to cover his face once more as he turns his body to face Karasuma with a mighty glare. "Cut off the head and the body dies."

Karasuma tenses as the students stand tensely to guard the exits.

"Observe!" The man yells out, preparing to fight Karasuma. However, he falls as a surprise kick gets thrown at him. His cheek is pushed in as blood leaks out of his mouth. He can't help but enter shock as his body falls to the floor.

_Such incredible strength, such inhuman speed! No matter, I just need to force his attention elsewhere. Such as that waiter girl; I'm sure she's collapsed by now. _

Even so, the man passes out from the powerful kick. Everyone cheers as the man collapse before gathering up to help their sensei tie the man up and hide him under a table. Everyone gathers afterward, waiting for a plan.

"Sir, if the poison does affect someone as badly as it seems, we should really go find that waiter. She can't keep going without medicine," Isogai tells Karasuma.

"We don't have time. Unless we run into her during our travel, the best thing to do is simply focus on getting those serums and helping your classmates," Karasuma commands as everyone starts towards the next flight of stairs; both the location the waiter disappeared and the next part to get closer to the boss.

_I hope we find her, that stuff can kill an elephant, _Nagasaki thinks to himself as he holds tight to the shrunken Korosensei. _One bad guy down, what's the next one gonna be like? Gotta wonder if we'll be able to handle them. Like, on our own. _

Korosensei suddenly lets out a cheer as an orange flower appears on his face. "Summer vacation is finally in full swing!"

Everyone stops and stares at the octopus. That single comment causes everyone to start screeching at their teacher as they go in for an attack. Korosensei shrieks as he swings around in his ball to avoid the students. Everything's chaos before Nagisa finally asks the question.

"Ok, ok, why does it suddenly feel like summer to you?"

"Because my students are acting independently of me. That's what summer's about, really. Extended breaks from the routine of school foster autonomy; you learn to think and act on your own. The prognosis for anyone else in this predicament, such as that lovely waiter, would be grim, but you have the tools to meet your foes head-on. This is an assassination vacation, it's up to you to make the most of it."


End file.
